Lib Dems dream of a Brussels FBI

Liberal Democrat MEP Bill Newton Dunn has called for the European Union to have its own FBI-style law-enforcement agency - with sweeping powers to intervene in criminal investigations across the continent.

In an interview with America's NBC news website, the East Midlands MEP insisted that a Europe-wide police force was necessary to counter cross-border crime - and even claimed the move would save money.

The proposal was today roundly condemned as "crazy federalism" by Conservative MEPs.

Timothy Kirkhope MEP, Conservative spokesman on justice and home affairs, said: "Sadly this is a prime example of Liberal Democrats letting their federalist ambitions get the better of them.

"According to their Euro-fanatical agenda, the EU must be turned into a European superstate with all the trappings of statehood - president, foreign policy, diplomatic service, army and police force.

"It is crazy federalism, pure and simple."

"They have already enthusiastically embraced the idea of playing soldiers with taxpayer's money by creating a European defence capability, now they want to play cops and robbers too.

"The answer to the problems of cross-border crime are closer co-operation and co-ordination between national forces, and more-sophisticated sharing of intelligence. Not a huge Europe-wide squad of supposed supersleuths.

"You can imagine how our own excellent police service would react to a Euro-FBI barging in with powers to over-rule them, to interfere in their work or even take over their investigations. That is how the FBI operates in the USA.

"Let me explain this to Bill as simply as I can: Europe does not need a federal police force because it is not a federal state. Take it from me, a Brussels FBI would be more Clouseau than Poirot."